Finished

Untitled WIP

The current painting on the table. I photographed Amber in South Dakota while she was ponying three horses across the Cheyenne River. This is a departure for me, I am not really comfortable doing people, but this had an intimacy that I really liked. Amber is an amazing horsewoman and one of the best riders I have ever seen. Here, she is looking back to make sure everyone is onboard and ready to go into the water. I hope to finish this up today or tomorrow, but it has a ways to go.
I am still struggling with the hand injury, so I listen to the pain to tell me when to stop. This is not an easy thing to do when deadlines loom. I will post the final when it is done. Now I just have to come up with a title.

Snowbound complete

"Snowbound"

Original Pastel

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We got socked!!!

Minnesota is in the middle of the 10th snowiest winter in history and it is only February. We may be looking at a record breaking year. It is hard to fathom the 12+ inches we got over the last two days when it was 55 last week. I am not complaining though, I am getting a lot of work done. I will posting more work soon.
Zoe seems a bit disgusted here, doesn't she?

The shepherd hook outside my studio window.

The front yard this morning around 7:30. I love fresh snow.

My family...

I had to share this picture. My husband, John has been fighting a sinus infection for a while now. This weekend, he was not feeling well, so he holed up in the basement with the big screen tv to watch sports and our rescue, Suki, decided to keep him company.
We did not ever plan on having a cat, but she was so sick and so sad when we came across her we could not turn our back on her. Our plan was to get her well, and find her a home...well, we soon found out that giving away a cat in Minnesota is like giving away a form of the plague. She wormed her way into our hearts and as you can see, even John can't say no to her.

What greater Valentine gift can you get than the love of an animal?

Snowbound

This is a photo I took on the easel. There is a lot more depth to the colors than is shown here. Unfortunately, our days here are so overcast, I have to count on the studio lights for photographs. I am going to put it aside for a few days and then pull it back out to tweak it here and there. I have found that when you look at a painting too long, you lose sight of things that need to be fixed. I will put a painting in the drawer for a few days, then pull it out to see what stands out to me that needs some work.
These two horses are gypsy vanners, a very old and very magical breed. They have amazing manes, tails, and feathers on their legs. To look at them, you almost feel like you are looking at a dream. It is very hard to paint them without them looking like a fairy tale. I hope I did them justice.

Georgia O'Keeffe in New Mexico

My inspiration, my heroine. Sometimes when I am lost, I look through her paintings for guidance. She was an amazing woman.

Next step

Little by little it is coming together. I am just having a problem with all that BLUE! I will tone it down later...

Snowbound- today's progress

The initial sketch...

Layout of the background and the intial sketch of the horses...

Laying in the color.
This is my new painting step by step. It is pastel, the greatest challenge is going to be the snow. Even though I live in Minnesota and have snow outside my window, it is still so hard to make it believable on paper. I hope I do it justice.